Volitional Dysfunction in Self-control Failures and Addictive Behaviors

NCT ID: NCT04498988

Last Updated: 2024-08-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 338 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2014-12-01
• Study Completion Date: 2024-06-30

Brief Summary

The aim of this project is to elucidate whether impairments of cognitive control, performance-monitoring, and value-based decision-making and dysfunctional interactions between underlying brain systems are mediating mechanisms and vulnerability factors for daily self-control failures and addictive disorders.

Detailed Description

Failures of self-control during conflicts between long-term goals and immediate desires are a key characteristic of many harmful behaviors, including unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise and problematic substance use, which often have adverse personal consequences and incur great societal costs. The project aims to elucidate neurocognitive mechanisms mediating deficient self-control, both in daily self-control failures and in substance use disorders and behavioral addictions, which are characterized by a loss of control despite awareness of adverse consequences. A prospective cohort study was launched using a multi-level approach that combines (i) a comprehensive clinical assessment, (ii) behavioral task batteries assessing cognitive control and decision-making functions, (iii) task-related and resting state fMRI, and (iv) Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment of daily self-control failures. From a representative community sample, three groups of participants were recruited (each n = 100; age 20 - 26) with (a) symptoms of non-substance related and (b) substance-related addictive disorders and (c) syndrome-free controls. Participants are invited to yearly clinical follow-up assessments and further multi-level assessments 3 and 6 years after initial recruitment. Results obtained so far (until 06/2020) provide converging evidence that task performance as well as brain activity in monitoring, control, and valuation networks is reliably associated with the propensity to commit real-life self-control failures. Results support a process model, according to which deficient performance-monitoring leads to an insufficient recruitment of control networks, which attenuates the impact of long-term goals on neural value signals and increases the likelihood of self-control failures. In the final funding period (until 06/2024), the clinical follow-up period will be extended to 7 years. In addition, stress markers will be assessed as possible moderators of self-control. With the cross-lagged panel design it is expected to make a substantial contribution to the central unresolved question whether dysfunctions of cognitive control are causally involved in the development and trajectories of self-control failures and addictive behaviors, as well as to the disputed question of communalities and differences between different addictive disorders. Thereby, the project will to contribute to mechanism-based models of self-control impairments as a foundation for improved prevention and therapy.

Conditions

Addictive Behavior; Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD); Tobacco Use Disorder; Self-Control; Executive Dysfunction

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: ECOLOGIC_OR_COMMUNITY
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Substance use disorder (SUD) group

In the substance use disorder (SUD) group, participants had a diagnosis of alcohol and/or tobacco use disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) but no lifetime non-substance-related addictive disorder (ND).

Observational study without interventions

Intervention Type: OTHER

Non-substance-related addictive disorder (ND) group

In the non-substance-related addictive disorder (ND) group, participants were included who fulfilled two or more criteria for a DSM-5 gambling disorder or for an addictive behavior related to Internet use (not for gambling, gaming, or shopping), gaming, or shopping assessed with adapted criteria from DSM-5 substance use disorder (SUD). Participants in the ND group had no lifetime SUD.

Observational study without interventions

Intervention Type: OTHER

Control group

The control participants had no current or lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) or non-substance-related addictive disorder (ND).

Observational study without interventions

Intervention Type: OTHER

Interventions

Observational study without interventions

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. age 19-27

2. fulfill the criteria for one of three groups (SUD, ND, controls)

3. written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1. no written informed consent or limited ability to understand the questionnaires and tasks

2. disorders that might influence cognition or motor performance (e.g. craniocerebral injury)

3. magnetic resonance contraindications

4. current treatment for mental disorders

5. current use of psychotropic medication or substances

6. lifetime psychotic symptoms, bipolar disorder, or other SUD or ND not under study

7. major depression, somatoform, anxiety, obsessive compulsive, or eating disorders within the last 4 weeks

• Minimum Eligible Age: 19 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 27 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

German Research Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Technische Universität Dresden

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Thomas Goschke, Prof. Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Technische Universität Dresden

Michael N. Smolka, Prof. Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Technische Universität Dresden

Gerhard Bühringer, Prof. Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Technische Universität Dresden

Locations

Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Psychology

Dresden, , Germany

Countries

Germany

References

Kraplin A. Conceptualizing behavioural addiction in children and adolescents. Addiction. 2017 Oct;112(10):1721-1723. doi: 10.1111/add.13846. Epub 2017 May 15. No abstract available.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 28508582 (View on PubMed)

Kronke KM, Wolff M, Benz A, Goschke T. Successful smoking cessation is associated with prefrontal cortical function during a Stroop task: A preliminary study. Psychiatry Res. 2015 Oct 30;234(1):52-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.08.005. Epub 2015 Aug 20.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26321462 (View on PubMed)

Wolff M, Kronke KM, Goschke T. Trait self-control is predicted by how reward associations modulate Stroop interference. Psychol Res. 2016 Nov;80(6):944-951. doi: 10.1007/s00426-015-0707-4. Epub 2015 Sep 24.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26403462 (View on PubMed)

Kraplin A, Hofler M, Pooseh S, Wolff M, Kronke KM, Goschke T, Buhringer G, Smolka MN. Impulsive decision-making predicts the course of substance-related and addictive disorders. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020 Sep;237(9):2709-2724. doi: 10.1007/s00213-020-05567-z. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 32500211 (View on PubMed)

Kronke KM, Wolff M, Mohr H, Kraplin A, Smolka MN, Buhringer G, Goschke T. Predicting Real-Life Self-Control From Brain Activity Encoding the Value of Anticipated Future Outcomes. Psychol Sci. 2020 Mar;31(3):268-279. doi: 10.1177/0956797619896357. Epub 2020 Feb 5.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 32024421 (View on PubMed)

Wolff M, Kronke KM, Venz J, Kraplin A, Buhringer G, Smolka MN, Goschke T. Action versus state orientation moderates the impact of executive functioning on real-life self-control. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2016 Dec;145(12):1635-1653. doi: 10.1037/xge0000229. Epub 2016 Oct 13.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 27736135 (View on PubMed)

Kronke KM, Wolff M, Mohr H, Kraplin A, Smolka MN, Buhringer G, Goschke T. Monitor yourself! Deficient error-related brain activity predicts real-life self-control failures. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2018 Aug;18(4):622-637. doi: 10.3758/s13415-018-0593-5.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 29654477 (View on PubMed)

Kronke KM, Wolff M, Shi Y, Kraplin A, Smolka MN, Buhringer G, Goschke T. Functional connectivity in a triple-network saliency model is associated with real-life self-control. Neuropsychologia. 2020 Dec;149:107667. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107667. Epub 2020 Oct 31.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 33130158 (View on PubMed)

Wolff M, Enge S, Kraplin A, Kronke KM, Buhringer G, Smolka MN, Goschke T. Chronic stress, executive functioning, and real-life self-control: An experience sampling study. J Pers. 2021 May;89(3):402-421. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12587. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 32858777 (View on PubMed)

Kronke KM, Mohr H, Wolff M, Kraplin A, Smolka MN, Buhringer G, Ruge H, Goschke T. Real-Life Self-Control is Predicted by Parietal Activity During Preference Decision Making: A Brain Decoding Analysis. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2021 Oct;21(5):936-947. doi: 10.3758/s13415-021-00913-w. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 34075542 (View on PubMed)

Kraplin A, Joshanloo M, Wolff M, Kronke KM, Goschke T, Buhringer G, Smolka MN. The relationship between executive functioning and addictive behavior: new insights from a longitudinal community study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2022 Nov;239(11):3507-3524. doi: 10.1007/s00213-022-06224-3. Epub 2022 Oct 3.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 36190537 (View on PubMed)

Kraplin A, Kupka KF, Fröhner JH, Krönke K-M, Wolff M, Smolka MN, Bühringer G, Goschke T. Personality Traits Predict Non-Substance Related and Substance Related Addictive Behaviours. SUCHT. 2022; 68(5), 263-277. doi:10.1024/0939-5911/a000780

Reference Type: RESULT

Kraplin A, Joshanloo M, Wolff M, Frohner JH, Baeuchl C, Kronke KM, Buhringer G, Smolka MN, Goschke T. No evidence for a reciprocal relationship between daily self-control failures and addictive behavior in a longitudinal study. Front Psychol. 2024 May 1;15:1382483. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1382483. eCollection 2024.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 38751764 (View on PubMed)

Study Documents

Document Type: Official study group website

View Document

Document Type: English description of the Collaborative Research Centre

The study is conducted within the Collaborative Research Centre 940 funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

View Document

Other Identifiers

Project number 178833530

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

SFB940 C01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id